Adobe Acrobat Blog » 2011 » Februaryhttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat
Insights, trends, news and more.Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:00:52 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Acrobat Wizard at Work: Harry Hemus, Dividi Projectshttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/acrobat-wizard-at-work-harry-hemus-dividi-projects/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/acrobat-wizard-at-work-harry-hemus-dividi-projects/#commentsMon, 28 Feb 2011 17:59:40 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1513Imagine the scene—a hotel or conference room, lots of suited and badged business types, canapés and warm Chardonnay, all accompanied by the soft background drone of networking. It’s not that I’m anti‐social, but whilst accepting that such forums are deemed necessary, I simply cringe when I see some seasoned, professional networker heading towards me to ask…”So, Harry, what do you do?”

Now here comes my killer response: “I do interactive PDFs!”

I’ve actually started to get some enjoyment by watching this person desperately try to think of something to say. Believe me it’s hilarious.

I suppose these events occasionally attract people who know what a PDF is, so you do get the opportunity to suggest that they are more than “just a PDF.”

I often start by asking people how they communicate across their organization, assuming that I will get the usual “by email, SharePoint, Intranet,” along with the omnipresent “Word, Excel, Powerpoint” responses. I then ask another trying question, “Would you like to have all of your clever and important documents—flattery is always a good ploy—delivered in one single, navigable PDF?”

If they say NO, then you might as well shift the conversation towards the riveting and thrilling PowerPoint you may have just been subjected to, or if that’s not applicable, discussing the weather is always an option. I’ve yet to find anyone who says to me “Ooh, I do interactive PDFs as well!” What is stopping this particular fraternity from realising that ALL of the wonderful work that they create can be delivered within a PDF?

If, however, they say YES, then clearly this presents an opportunity to enquire, “Would you like to do all that as well as including audio, video, data collation, tracking and commenting reviews within the PDF”?

Let’s assume that you have achieved Nirvana—the “wow” response. Now that Acrobat X is on the scene, it has taken the user interface to a level which not only suits the enterprise user, but also suits the creative community— the cool and hip visionaries that create stunning imagery, graphics and rich media.

Realize that they have to experience for themselves real life samples and that some are sensitive individuals within the enterprise who rely heavily on the IT team for advice and guidance.

Perhaps it’s best to show actual, real, relevant and dynamic examples which contain all of this rich material. I’ve received a project which requires ALL manner of files and skills, including 50‐80 pages of text, 20 separate fact sheets and three Flash animations.

At the first meeting to discuss the options, I suggested a dynamic PDF as the solution. I heard the sound of a haunting wind, and tumbleweed could be seen drifting across the table. Thedesign group preferred Flash; the head of the global brand didn’t know what a PDF was; and the technical writers wondered how the printers could make PDF interactive.

The agency charged with managing the project intervened. “I think it would be a good idea if Harry showed us a few examples.” I showed them dynamic PDF – and was offered the job!

For too long, there has been a perceived split personality for Acrobat, where in my submission one should not exist, because it is both a proven business tool as well as vehicle for delivering creative and engaging content.

I’m sure that in such circumstances where these two areas are converged, there is a market and a suite of innovative products ripe for development and delivery to consumers and businesses alike.

Harry Hemus is an independent media production professional at Dividi Projects. When Harry is not enjoying canapés at cocktail parties, he is brainstorming his next act of wizardry with interactive PDFs for his media production clients.

Have a great wizard story on how Acrobat has inspired your work? Share it with us in the blog comments, we’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned for more upcoming Wizards in our Acrobat Wizards at Work blog series.

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/acrobat-wizard-at-work-harry-hemus-dividi-projects/feed/0“Ask the Xpert” Twitterview: Adobe FormsCentralhttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/ask-the-xpert-twitterview-acrobat-forms/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/ask-the-xpert-twitterview-acrobat-forms/#commentsFri, 25 Feb 2011 18:03:45 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1438Hope you enjoyed our first “Ask the Xpert” Twitterview with the Acrobat team’s Chris French and Dave Stromfeld. If you didn’t have a chance to join, check out the transcriptfrom the session!

Our second “Ask the Xpert” Twitterview takes a look at dynamic forms, and it kicks off on Tuesday, March 1 at 10:00am PST on our Acrobat Twitter handle: @Acrobat. Our hosts are Todd Gerber, Group Product Marketing Manager, Acrobat.com Solutions, and Rebecca Staley, Community Manager, Acrobat.com.

To refresh your memory, Twitterviews are interviews conducted on Twitter, where you get to interview our special guests about, in this case, forms-related questions. We encourage everyone to ask Todd and Rebecca questions via Twitter during the Twitterview using the hashtag #Acroview, or better yet, starting today using that same hashtag #Acroview, or even right here in the comments section of this blog post!

As an added incentive, all users who ask a question will be entered into a random drawing for a chance to win 10 FormsCentral Plus accounts for a whole year—a great solution for you, your colleagues, club, team, etc. FormsCentralis our new forms-creation and online data-collection solution that we announced on Feb. 14, and FormsCentral Plus offers unlimited forms and up to 5,000 responses per form. The drawing is open to residents in North America only. For the complete rules see here.

Here’s a little more info about Todd and Rebecca:

Todd Gerber is Group Product Marketing Manager for Acrobat.com Solutions, managing all services for Acrobat Solutions, including FormsCentral, SendNow, CreatePDF and more. He comes to Adobe with more than 15 years expertise building corporate online programs in direct and indirect sales, lead acquisition, and optimization. Prior to Adobe Todd spent 13 years at HP, most recently as director of business engagement and development. When he’s not talking up the latest cool use cases for FormsCentral, he enjoys traveling and writing screenplays.

Rebecca Staley joined the Acrobat.com team last year as the Acrobat.com Community Manager. Since coming to Adobe, she’s been working with all of Acrobat.com‘s attendant services, including SendNow, CreatePDF, and now FormsCentral; she spends her time writing blog posts and having conversations in the Adobe forums about all of these services. When she’s not tweeting the latest Acrobat.com news, she’s covered with ink at the letterpress studio or gallivanting around the Northern California wilderness.

<

Don’t forget to follow our Twitter handle,@Acrobat, for the latest Acrobat news and updates, and ask those questions using #Acroview or in the comments section here! We hope to see you (virtually) on Tuesday, March 1!

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/ask-the-xpert-twitterview-acrobat-forms/feed/1Happy 5th Anniversary, AUC!http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/happy-5th-anniversary-auc/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/happy-5th-anniversary-auc/#commentsWed, 23 Feb 2011 18:00:56 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1425We can’t believe that it’s been five years since we introduced the Acrobat User Community, and it’s amazing how much the Community has grown since then. The sheer number of topics and posts in our Forums page, the variety of projects we’ve featured in our Gallery, the growth of resources available in our Learning Center and the emergence of User Groups around the world make this a happy 5th birthday indeed!

Since the AUC’s inception in 2006, the Community has been supported by a group of outstanding Acrobat experts always willing to share their expertise with Acrobat users around the world. We want to thank them especially for making the AUC such a vibrant, engaging place to be.

And here’s more icing to the cake – the AUC has kicked off a week-long contest to celebrate the big “5” with you. If you tweet a tip linked to any forms-related content on AcrobatUsers.com via Twitter, using the hashtag #formstips in your tweet, you can win one of several six-month subscriptions to Adobe SendNow Plus or Adobe FormsCentral. The AUC will randomly select one winner from each day’s tweets. More details and sample tweet tips here.

If you’re on the outside looking in, we’d love for you to join the AUC. You can be one of the almost 1,000 people joining the Community every month who enjoy special benefits like discounts, access to eSeminars and of course expert answers to your Acrobat-related questions. Whether you’re a seasoned AUC veteran or new to the Community, we hope you’ll be a part of the next five years and beyond!

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/happy-5th-anniversary-auc/feed/0Customer Spotlight: IATA taps Acrobat to drastically streamline and manage critical airline infohttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/customer-spotlight-iata-taps-acrobat-to-drastically-streamline-and-manage-critical-airline-info/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/customer-spotlight-iata-taps-acrobat-to-drastically-streamline-and-manage-critical-airline-info/#commentsMon, 21 Feb 2011 18:00:09 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1371Buried in files? We recently learned about how global flight organization International Air Transport Association (IATA) uses advanced PDF Portfolio capabilities in Acrobat to distribute critical airline information – more than 4,000 pages of tariff and cargo details, including more than 3.3 million rates and 1,000 pages of rules, regulations, and airport data for over 200 countries.

By using Acrobat and creating PDF Portfolios, the organization has eliminated the costs and hassles of manual document delivery and can now provide frequent electronic updates to its members worldwide. This helps ensure airline professionals always have access to the most up-to-date information anywhere, any time. Also, IATA has dramatically streamlined printing, managing, and distributing materials.

With easy access to essential airline information across devices, demand for the dynamic digital documents has really taken off. Read more here.

Ali Hanyaloglu, Product Evangelist, Acrobat Solutions

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/customer-spotlight-iata-taps-acrobat-to-drastically-streamline-and-manage-critical-airline-info/feed/0Save the Date: Tech Talk on Deploying Acrobat Xhttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/save-the-date-tech-talk-on-deploying-acrobat-x/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/save-the-date-tech-talk-on-deploying-acrobat-x/#commentsFri, 18 Feb 2011 18:00:20 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1413There’s a lot for IT Managers to love about Acrobat X deployment tools. With support for SCCM/SCUP, this version of Acrobat and Adobe Reader are much easier to deploy and maintain than previous versions. There is even deployment support via Apple Remote Desktop.

Joel Geraci has been an Acrobat Technical Evangelist at Adobe Systems for over 13 years and has 25 years experience in desktop design and publishing. He is the author of two Acrobat blogs: The PDF Developer Junkie and IT Matters.

Chris French is a Senior Product Manager who’s worked on Acrobat and Reader versions 9 and X since joining Adobe in 2007. For Acrobat X, he managed the redesign of the new user interface, production and of the new Acrobat X Suite, and IT deployment improvements.

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/save-the-date-tech-talk-on-deploying-acrobat-x/feed/0Product Management Insights with Varun Parmar: FormsCentralhttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/product-management-insights-with-varun-parmar-formscentral/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/product-management-insights-with-varun-parmar-formscentral/#commentsThu, 17 Feb 2011 18:00:25 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1397Take a look under the hood with Varun Parmar, Principal Product Manager, Acrobat Solutions, as he shares insights and a demo of Adobe FormsCentral, a new cloud-based form creation and distribution service. Hear about the research that went into FormsCentral behind the scenes, target business use cases and a closer look at the collaboration platform the service was built on. Learn more about some of the professional and powerful features of FormsCentral that make it easy to create, collect and analyze data in a few minutes.

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/product-management-insights-with-varun-parmar-formscentral/feed/0Acrobat Solutions Insights with Todd Gerber: FormsCentralhttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/acrobat-solutions-insights-with-todd-gerber-formscentral/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/acrobat-solutions-insights-with-todd-gerber-formscentral/#commentsTue, 15 Feb 2011 18:00:57 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1390Tune in to hear insights from Todd Gerber, Group Product Marketing Manager, Acrobat Solutions, as he discusses Adobe FormsCentral, a new cloud-based form creation and distribution service that empowers Knowledge Workers to easily design, collect and analyze data from HTML forms and surveys that look great but don’t take a lot of time to create.

Forms are the life-blood of businesses and organizations. But how does the average person take advantage of the recent technology advances in Web and mobile without IT help to collect information that will move their business forward? Given how important the information you collect from surveys, contracts, or registration forms is, an online solution that lets you quickly create, distribute, collect and analyze data from forms or surveys would be a huge asset. Well, today we’re announcing a complete service that makes that time-consuming – albeit important – task, well, less time-consuming: Adobe FormsCentral.

FormsCentral is an online forms service that lets you easily design, distribute, collect, and analyze data from HTML forms and surveys that look great but don’t take a lot of time to create. Built by the Acrobat Solutions team with a legacy of PDF forms expertise, we’ve taken our popular desktop forms capabilities and put them online for a simplified end user experience. Now it’s easy to get answers with online forms using Adobe FormsCentral —including questionnaires, contact forms, registration pages, mailing lists and much more. From forms branded with a company logo to multi-page questionnaires, a compelling design can help to improve your results. Now you can focus on the content, without worrying about the code.

Be creative and analytical

Using FormsCentral, anyone can view and customize attractive templates, or create forms and surveys from scratch to capture data. And you don’t need IT involvement. You can quickly analyze data from anywhere in real time while maintaining data security.

You have lots of room for creativity, too. With FormsCentral you can quickly create attractive, professional online forms and surveys using customizable templates or completely from scratch with easy to use design tools. FormsCentral helps you put your best foot forward, while you promote and reinforce your brand.

Adobe FormsCentral makes it easy to distribute your forms and surveys and automate the collection of responses. You control every step in the online experience.

Get social: Collaboration and beyond

With FormsCentral, you can share links via e-mail, Twitter or web pages and recipients can access and complete forms or surveys from any device with a web browser and Internet connection – smartphones, tablets, laptops, or desktop devices.

Adobe FormsCentral lets you immediately analyze online form and survey results so you can make the right decisions, at the right time for your business or organization. With your form or survey online, data is automatically added to your response table, eliminating the need to consolidate or transcribe the results into a traditional spreadsheet.

Built-in mathematical and statistical formulas let you analyze and work with data online, and export any time using familiar formats. And as you analyze the data, you can keep everyone on the same page with simultaneous access to your form and survey results. You can assign roles and decide each person’s level of access. Collaboration at its best!

Be insightful

We’ve tailored FormsCentral to meet various customer needs. With a free account, you get up to 50 responses and you can begin collecting and reviewing responses immediately. For $14.99 per month, create up to five forms and collect 500 responses per form. For $199 a year, create any unlimited number of forms or surveys and get up to 5,000 responses each.

We think FormsCentral will revolutionize data collection and analysis. So spend less time designing, distributing and collecting info, and spend more time applying those valuable insights, analyzing new data – and driving your business forward. Speaking of driving, take FormsCentral for a spin and let me know what you think, mgrilli@adobe.com Looking forward to hearing more about forms in your world.

Mark Grilli,Director of Product Marketing, Acrobat Solutions

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/start-a-forms-revolution%e2%80%a6in-the-cloud/feed/7Our First SCUP Catalog for Acrobat and Reader X is Herehttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/ourfirstscupcatalogforacrobatandreaderxishere/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/ourfirstscupcatalogforacrobatandreaderxishere/#commentsThu, 10 Feb 2011 18:00:13 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1368One of the important improvements in Acrobat X and Reader X is that it’s easier to manage updates through support for Microsoft’s System Center Updates Publisher (SCUP). Using SCUP catalogs and Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), IT managers can manage the deployment of updates across their organization. Joel Geraci previewed this in his IT Matters blog in November where he also mentioned that our first SCUP catalogs would be available along with our first update.

Earlier this week, with the release of our 10.0.1 update, we included the download locations for our first SCUP catalogs. You can find them in the release notes. We’ll also be including them in release notes for updates going forward.

There are separate SCUP catalogs for Acrobat X and Reader X. You can download from the following URLs:

You’ll find instructions for deploying updates using SCUP and SCCM in our Enterprise Administration Guide which is available on our Enterprise Administration page.

Still hungry for more on SCUP and Acrobat and Reader X for IT? Joel and I will be talking about SCUP and other deployment improvements for Acrobat and Reader X in a free Tech Talk on February 22. Join us.

Chris French, Senior Product Manager, Acrobat Solutions

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/ourfirstscupcatalogforacrobatandreaderxishere/feed/0Protecting Your PDF Files: Taking Security to a New Levelhttp://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/protecting-your-pdf-files-taking-security-to-a-new-level/
http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/protecting-your-pdf-files-taking-security-to-a-new-level/#commentsWed, 09 Feb 2011 18:00:45 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/acrobat/?p=1360From improved application security and more granular controls to tighter operating system integration and improved deployment and administration tools, the recently announced Adobe Acrobat X and Adobe Reader X are engineered with security in mind. The Adobe product security teams continuously test and evolve Acrobat and Reader to handle any new threats as they emerge to help ensure that your data is safe and secure whenever you use Adobe products.

One of the key pieces of this elevated risk-management strategy is a concept called ‘sandboxing’ – introduced in Adobe Reader X in November. Highly respected by security professionals, sandboxing is a method of creating a confined execution environment for running programs with low rights or privileges. Sandboxes protect users’ systems from being harmed by untrusted documents that contain executable code. In the context of Adobe Reader, the untrusted content is any PDF file and the processes it invokes. Adobe Reader X treats all PDF documents as potentially corrupt and confines all processing to the sandbox.

Specifically, to protect you and your organization from malicious code that attempts to use PDF files to write to a computer’s file system, Adobe provides an implementation of sandboxing technology called Protected Mode. Enabled by default whenever you launch Adobe Reader X, Protected Mode helps prevent attackers from installing malware on a user’s system, thereby reducing the risk of potential security threats. Protected Mode limits the level of access granted to the program, safeguarding systems running the Windows operating system from malicious PDF files that might attempt to write to the computer’s file system, delete files, or otherwise modify system information.

Check out this new white paper that dives deep into sandboxing and other security features, and how the Acrobat X family of products takes the security of PDF documents and data to a new level.